Chaney, too tired to laugh, shook his head.
Then Hunter stepped into it, shouldering his way between Skull and Chaney to engage Hamilton's enraged glare. The physician appeared unhinged, and seemed not to recognize his brutal, bleeding countenance for a moment. Then, pointing a trembling hand: "It was this man!" he shouted. "This…this animal! He is the one who destroyed my facility!"
"And your life," Hunter nodded coldly. "Nothing left but the truth, Hamilton. And, just so you know, Luther is dead. He's lying two miles beneath your feet with his head cut off."
Skull nodded curtly to the marshals behind him and a team began rappelling over the edge of the cliff, headed down to the cave. Hunter knew they would retrieve all the evidence, the bodies of his compatriots, and what was left of Luther. He didn't know if any of it would ever see daylight, but it would be enough to put away the guilty for a long time.
Grimacing in pain, Chaney added, "You picked the wrong man for the job, Hamilton. That's why Hunter was so damned unimportant, wasn't it? He was the wild card. The rest of them, they were soldiers. You knew they didn't stand a chance against Luther. But you weren't sure how Hunter would react. What he would do. That's what scared you from the first, but you couldn't figure a way out of it 'cause you had to put on a good show. Well, I'm glad to see he disappointed you." Chaney turned in beside Hunter as they walked away and then called back: "See you at the arraignment, Doc."
As they walked to the second medical chopper, Skull began giving terse instructions for documentation of the scene and preservation of the beast's body. Hunter glanced back to see Hamilton, arrogant and despising to the last, being led away in cuffs. Although both of them were so wounded they could barely walk, now that the abysmal pain of a dozen serious injuries was emerging from beneath the stress, the sight brought a smile to Hunter's face as he spoke quietly. "You gonna be all right with the way this burned down?"
"Oh, yeah, no problems," Chaney said, obvious pain making his voice chipped and brittle. "How about you?"
"I'll be fine, I think. I just want to get to the hospital and check on Bobbi Jo. She was hurt pretty bad."
"Yeah, but she'll be fine, Hunter. She's strong. Got a strong spirit, too." He spoke slower. "I'm sorry about Ghost. And about the professor. He was… a good man."
Moving another step, Hunter was silent. Then he stopped and slowly turned, staring back at the cliff. The marshal's team had already descended, and he was briefly immobile. After a moment he shook his head.
"Killing it don't seem like enough," he whispered.
Chaney, still holding his broken shoulder, let the moment last. "Come on, Hunter," he said finally. "You're hurt. I'm hurt. The rest are dead and that thing is dead. It's over. Now it's up to you and that body of yours to make sure something good comes out of this. Skull and I'll clean up the rest of the mess."
Frowning, Hunter paused, then began walking beside Chaney up the hill, toward the descending sun.
"So much for immortality," he said.
About the Author
James Byron Huggins emerged from the cobwebs of Alabama in 1993 and literally stunned both the American East Coast and West Coast with multiple million-dollar movie and book deals to create some of the most admired story lines and characters in recent fiction.
After creating his allegorical first novel, “A Wolf Story,” Huggins switched to the counterintelligence genre with the ground-breaking, “The Reckoning.” Long hailed as the first true thriller with the backdrop of a profoundly religious plot, “The Reckoning” remains a favorite of actions fans. Then Huggins wrote “Leviathan” — the story of a Komodo Dragon transformed into the biblical Leviathan and the havoc it wreaks upon those who must destroy it before it destroys the world.
Million dollar deals were immediately signed for “Cain,” and “Hunter,” before Huggins could even finish the books and overseas rights were sold before the novels were even released in the United States. Even now Huggins remains one of the most sought-after action screen writers in Hollywood.
Raised in a small Alabama town Huggins grew up to become involved in fantastic adventures that took him to the far side of the world and so very far from his beginnings. After spending several years in Europe smuggling people and materials in and out of the Iron Curtain to assist those suffering religious and political persecution in nations doomed to war, Huggins became a decorated police officer in Huntsville, Ala. But he resigned from police work in 1993 after publication of his first novel.
Huggins continues to write and to speak and frequently holds writing seminars for libraries, book clubs, colleges, high schools and churches. Anyone wishing to have Huggins visit your group or edit your work before publication or theatrical production need only contact him through this site.